It seems beachgoers weren't the only ones making the most of the weekend's summery conditions, with a pod of orca whales frolicking in the water at Mount Maunganui.

Shani Gilmour and her family were on the rocks, on the eastern side of Mauao, about 1.35pm yesterday when a fin suddenly came up out of the water.

An orca whale swims alongside the rocks on Mauao. Photo: Shani Gilmour.

'It was an Orca,” explains Shani, 'and it was the first time any of us had seen one and it was so close to us.

'It swam down to the right then turned and came back again. People up higher on the Mount came down and said they had seen a pod of them.”

Some orca feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as sea lions, seals, walruses and even large whales.

They are often known as killer whales and are toothed whales belonging to the oceanic dolphin family.

Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas.